[Satori]

sure you can

It's just opinion

 

[Kubernetes]

Quote:

But in the upper reaches of sports like basketball, you're not going to be the best, even if you live in the gym, without having that special trait that gives you the potential to outperform the other guy

Hmmm... but you could say this about the elite athletes in the upper echelons of any demanding sport. I could name any number of sports: cycling, sprinting, long-distance running, swimming, soccer, baseball, boxing, etc. that require some "special trait." Normal people, no matter how hard they work, will not ever be able to throw a baseball at 100mph into a 1.5'x1.5' box. Normal people do not have the stamina or speed to run a sub-2.5hour marathon. Or run as fast as Michael Johnson over any distance. Or punch with the speed and power and Roy Jones Jr.

So what sport has the best athletes? Dunno. How do you limit the sport; do you mean only the top professional level of each sport? Because if you count all the amatures and collegiates and high-school kids, the whole "best athletes" analysis gets sloppier.

 

[geom_tol]

It's a subjective question/answer.

I say that boxing produces the finest athletes.
So in my mind it is more difficult to become a world champ boxer than to become a great athlete in other sports.

It's just my opinion.

The thread is fine, it's fun.

 

[gaineso]

And the Greatest Athlete Ever has not been mentioned.

The Greatest, Mohamed Ali, The Louisville Lip.

Without any argument, he was the greatest. And no matter how hard anyone trained, they would NEVER have what he had. There will probably never be another MJ either. Or a Dale Earnhardt, Or King Richard Petty.

Yes, there is something in some people that goes far beyond conditioning and training, some God given gift. There will never be another Barbra Streisand. Some God given gift.

I don't know what sport produces the BEST athletes. At the top level of all sports, there are exceptional athletes. Race drivers have reflexes, coordination and stamina that is second to none. Basketbal players have, well Bballs not my sport so I don't know except for Byrd and MJ. Footbal players? Remember Paul Warfield? Barishnikov in a football uniform. It can go on and on and on.

As far as using Olympic standards for athletes (who is and isn't), Are you talking about the original Olympics, the 1936 Olympics, the 2000 Olympics, Summer, Winter??? I ask because they chandge just about every edition.

 

[skippy]

best at what?

basketball players are the best at basketball, runners are the fastest runners, boxers are the best at boxing, etc...

michael jordan could beat tiger woods in a basketball game. roy jones jr would beat michael jordan to death in a boxing match. tiger woods would beat roy jones on a golf course.

so exactly how are we defining best?

 

[kerelybonto]

Quote:

... but you could say this about the elite athletes in the upper echelons of any demanding sport ...

Yes, and I've acknowledged that in all seven of my posts in this thread. And in my very first post, I stated very clearly: Quote:

It all depends on what you consider athleticism, though -- really, there's no reason why hand-eye coordination is less of an athletic trait than being fast, but I tend to define the word in terms of its derivation from the old Olympic events.

Is there any reason why someone who runs a 4.1 forty is any more athletic than someone who runs a 4.3 forty and has the vision and instincts needed to be a NFL running back? No. And for that matter, there may be no difference in some people's minds between someone who runs a 4.1 forty and someone who can't get up off the couch in 4.1 seconds. That's why I started off by offering my understanding of the word 'athlete.'

Regardless, there are differences in an average person's potential to excel at training sports versus sports that have less emphasis on training. The example of someone who can throw a baseball 100mph is a very good one: for a lot of people, there is nothing they can do to be able to throw a ball that fast. In fact, increasing arm strength, after a certain point, will slow down your arm velocity and make you throw slower. Randy Johnson we all cannot be. I don't see why anyone's contesting that point.

kerelybonto

 

[dhwilkin]

Good discussion, so far. I know everyone has different ideas on athleticism, but let me clarify my original question.

First, when I said what sport produces the best athlete, that's exactly what I meant. Meaning, forget about genetics or muscle composition... assume all other factors are equal. Think about the specific training each sport emphasizes, and what the athlete gains from this training. For instance, the average training of a marathon runer will not emphasize upper-body strength like the training of a basketball player.

Second, I'm assuming the representative athlete is from the highest level of that sport, be it college, the Olympics, or professional.

Third, here's my definition of "best athlete", at least for this context. The best athlete is the one who, if placed in a number of physical contests of varying requirements, would finish the highest in the largest number of those contests. Contests could be long-distance running, lifting heavy objects, having the quickest reaction time, shooting an arrow, whatever. In short, I'm saying the most physically balanced athlete, who can rapidly adapt to any situation, is the best athlete. That's why my pick was an amateur wrestler, since the training of that sport covers just about every physical attribute you can imagine.

 

[john_jcb]

With your clarification I am even more convinced it is Hockey. Even the hand eye coordination is very keen in hockey. Try tipping a 90 mph shot with a hockey stick. I have no doubt that there are great athletes in all sports, but I think that in hockey you must me a very well rounded athelete to be great. Physical size also is not the most important thing, look at Wayne Gretzky or Steve Yzerman.

 

[dhwilkin]

Agreed, hockey would be my second or third pick, along w/ basketball. Both seem very well-rounded. Still have to make amateur wrestling my first pick, though. Admittedly, I'm biased towards it since I used to be one, but after having my high school coach (former highly ranked NCAA div. I wrestler) describe his average practice in college, that convinced me.

 

[skippy]

i'm going to have to go with fighters then (wrestlers, boxers, kick boxers, etc...)

they're extremely well conditioned in terms of strength, endurance, speed, and agility. there's also a lot of quick thinking and strategy involved with whooping ass.

 

[gaineso]

As I've stated, I think at the top levels of all sports, there are some great athletes.

But I just wanted to relate a little story, since so many here like wrestling.

Back in '78, I was in Nashville. There was a match between a local high school and the Yugoslavian men's team.

The officiating totally sucked and the Yugo's were winning. The high school kids realized the only way they had a chance was to literally kick some Yugo ass. They proceded to do so and won the match. The Yugo's protested vehemently, but they weren't in any physical condition to do much else.

The Nashville High School Wrestling Team won and the crowd went wild. Of course the way the officiating was going, I was afraid the crowd was going to go wild.

 

[Wizard77]

I remember a Sports Illustrated (I think) article about this from the '70s (I think). Boxing was rated number one because it included all of the elements of athletic skill in abundance. As I recall, boxing requires:

conditioning
strength
balance
endurance
toughness
power
eye-hand coordination
fearlessness
persistance
reflexes
the legs
the arms
the hands
the feet
the torso
the abdomen
the head
intelligence

I remember this well because I was boxing at the time.

 

[Outdoor Man]

Mountain climbing.

It gives you a lot of responcibility, you need a good condition and you can only win from yourself.

Peter.

 

[SumB]

Hockey without a doubt speaking from first hand experience. The coordination, speed, agility, endurance, strength, dedication, durability, and mental toughness requirements are beyond any other form of sport. Hockey players are the most well rounded athletes by far.

Basketball, baseball, football, track & field - they're but a cake walk alongside the game of hockey.

 

[SumB]

We can discard baseball, basketball, football, car racing, boxing, golf, and wrestling on the grounds that the above are sports you can compete in while drunk/stoned/overweight/elderly.